Coloretto

Coloretto is a set-collection game where sets can give negative points (not good!) as well as positive (good!)

Each player begins with a Chameleon card dealt randomly from the deck. These come in several colours (some are removed with less players) and there are nine of each colour. Your goal is to have three big sets of the same-coloured chameleons, and – ideally – none of the other colours, as you can only score three sets and any extras deduct points. But it’s easier said than done.

Play is very simple. On the table are several ‘rows’ (equal to the number of players) that can be filled, one card at a time, with up to three cards. On your turn you can either turn over a new card and add it to the row of your choice, or you can claim a row for yourself. As soon as you claim a row, you’re out of the current round and that ‘claimed row’ is no longer available to the other players. A couple of extra wrinkles are wild chameleons (add them to the set of your choice) and +2 cards, that simply score points. Seeded in the deck is the Final Round card – when this is revealed, the current round will be the last one before players score their various sets, with the most points winning.

It sounds remarkably straightforward – and it is. But it also isn’t, because although the rules are very simple the decisions aren’t so easy. If you don’t take a row, then you want to either boost a row you like the look of in a way that helps you, but doesn’t attract others. Or if you draw a card you don’t want, find a way to poison the well in another row. But these choices aren’t always binary – despite the name, Coloretto is one heaving venn diagram of grey areas.